Supporting our students

Published: Wed 8 Aug 2018

The University of Bradford is supporting its students through their University journey with a range of services and support.

Bradford has frequently been praised for the support it offers students, especially those with some type of disability. In 2016 the University’s disability service won a prestigious Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards in the Outstanding Student Services Team category for its commitment to inclusion and to promoting the success of students who for a range of reasons might experience disadvantage.

The University is also committed to supporting its student’s wellbeing and mental health and recently received over £30,000 by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to support a project to improve support for the mental health and wellbeing of postgraduate research students.

Penny Aspinall, Head of Disability, Counselling and Mental Health at the University of Bradford, said: “The transition to university life is an important and exciting one but can also be very daunting for some people. We take the wellbeing of our students very seriously and have a whole range of support services to help student settle in and to provide support if they at any point are struggling. We're here to help every step of the way – no one is on their own!”

Students have access to the disability service, counselling service, My Bradford student support centres, Students’ Union, chaplaincy and faith advisers, on-campus nursery and halls wardens at the Green accommodation.

In a recent survey of 246 service users including staff and students from the University and the College, 82% said that the service was the most significant factor in helping them develop skills that might be useful for future employment. 89% said it was an important factor in helping them do better in academic work or work and 87% said it was an important factor in improving their overall experience of University, college or work. 81% said the service was an important factor in helping them stay at University or work.

Penny added: “This feedback shows the importance of having a good support team in place for staff and students. It is great that so many people feel we have helped them stay on their course or continue in their job and that our support has equipped them with skills and knowledge they can take with them into the future.”